The Blessing of Grace by The Rev. And the folks in Riverside Church had to know whether or not they still had a pastor. Thursday, February 15, 2007. The prayers are presented in several multi-year collections. The still-defended challenge-cup. In my email signature, I have this quote by him: The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love.. Practicing wholesale justice Interview with Bob Abernathy August 27, 204 The Rev. But if anyone dare speak in response to this tragic accident, they could learn much from William Sloane Coffin, the American justice activist who died last year, about what not to say to. I was first introduced to this sermon years ago in a college communications course, and I have thought of it with surprising regularity ever since. And silence sounds no worse than cheers 15 He liked it here. That clarifies the sight But oh, the things I learned from her And thats what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. Then, as I began to re-read it, I noticed that the guy's name is William Sloane Coffin. My dad, who became a doctor, has a weathered copy of Alexs Death which he has xeroxed on many occasions to give to friends and colleagues experiencing loss. Seems a good deal for him - get all the praise when things go our way but none of the blame when things go wrong due to no fault of our own. This is the last year of the complete 10 year collection of sermons. Thought he was omnipotent and omnipresent. Q: As you look back on everything you've done in your wonderful life, what are you most proud of? That's the puzzlement of it all. Some will even argue that God has a purpose in allowing the accident and will use this tragedy to provoke moral growth in the world (though one hopes that this explanation will not be offered in the hearing of any grieving family members). Crowned with lilies and Laurel they go; but I am not resigned. An Eulogy for Alex Lewis wrote, They say the coward dies many times; so does the beloved. This is the sixth year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born June 1, 1924, in New York City. The more we love the bigger we are, There is no smaller package in the world than a man all wrapped up in himself.. These days, campuses are very concerned with religious pluralism. The Rev. A powerful eulogy. I know all the right biblical passages, including Blessed are those who mourn, and my faith is no house of rest, came from fellow reverends, a few of whom proved they knew their cards; these passages are true, I know. William Sloane Coffin, Jr. was born on June 1, 1924, in New York City to William Sloane Coffin, Sr. and Catherine Butterfield Coffin. Smart lad, to slip betimes away After the death of his wife, C.S. Alex, as he was called, was killed in a car accident in 1983 when he was only. "A spiritual person tries less to be godly than to be deeply . When she saw me, she shook her head, then headed for the kitchen, saying sadly over her shoulder, I just dont understand the will of God. Instantly I was up and in hot pursuit, swarming all over her. But the things I learned from her Coffin on defense issues from the Center for Defense Information; Read Coffin's eulogy for his son Alex; Relive the past with Rev. Robert Browning Hamilton Or, in Emily Dickinsons verse: By a departing light We see acuter quite Than by a wick that stays. This is amazing. The silence of God over the cross is our model here. Welcome to the sermons and prayers download page. Kate Braestrups book is beautiful, and I highly recommend it to all who are seeking answers. Last year Union Theological Seminary in New York gave him its highest medal. The scripture reading for each sermon can be found below in PDF format. William Sloane Coffin Jr., was arrested several times during the civil rights movement. For. The Rev. Because there are no rankling unanswered questions, and because Alex and I simply adored each other, the wound for me is deep, but clean. I agree about the need for silence regarding those grieving. I mentioned the healing flood of letters. But I'm an atheist. Brett & Kate McKay March 18, 2017 Last updated: June 16, 2021. _______________ Reprinted with permission of theWilliam Sloane Coffin Sermon Archive Project. what do you say? My own consolation lies in knowing that it was not the will of God that Alex die; that when the waves closed over the sinking car, Gods heart was the first of all our hearts to break. Bill Coffin was such a man. And that's what happens to the horror of all those townsfolk. Q: It must make you terribly frustrated to see all the things you think are wrong and not being righted, and not be able to play the part in leading those movements that you once did. There are a lot of excuses that people give for not participating more in the kinds of things that you used to lead. This is the second year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. After earth has stopped the ears: Now you will not swell the rout We have to be forced down. Robert Browning Hamilton. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: The humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. So I shall so let us all seek consolation in that love which never dies, and find peace in the dazzling grace that always is. and what an inspiring Eulogy by William Sloane Coffin concerning his Son and his Faith. (Lord Byron). Thats why immediately after such a tragedy people must come to your rescue, people who only want to hold your hand, not to quote anybody or even say anything, people who simply bring food and flowers the basics of beauty and life people who sign letters simply, Your brokenhearted sister. In other words, in my intense grief I felt some of my fellow reverends not many, and none of you, thank God were using comforting words of Scripture for self-protection, to pretty up a situation whose bleakness they simply couldnt face. Your email address will not be published. So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind. To-day, the road all runners come, 5 I have a little sentence or two, about the Chinese Emperor who sent his wise man off for a month, to figure out, what is happiness? So people are feeling sorry for themselves instead of happy for the one they believe is now in heaven. He was a cleric. Legendary William Sloane Coffin's years at the historic Riverside Church captured in new two-volume collection Louisville, KY-From 1977 through 1987 William Sloane Coffin was the Senior Minister at t . January 6, 1968 Spock and Coffin Indicted For Activity Against Draft By FRED P. GRAHAM . So I shall so let us all seek consolation in that love which never dies, and find peace in the dazzling grace that always is. Coffin's son, Alex, tragic death in an automobile accident. Why are they unhappy if they think he is in paradise with 72 virgins or are they just feeling sorry for themselves? A Prayer by William Sloan Coffin Jr., 1983. 54 quotes from William Sloane Coffin: 'Love measures our stature: the more we love, the bigger we are. God did not bash the truck into your fathers car. He attended Deerfield Academy and Phillips Academy Andover before beginning his studies at Yale University in 1942. Like A.E. William Sloane Coffin Compassion, Sentimental, Individual William Sloane Coffin (2004). And thats what hundreds of you understood so beautifully. In the fascinating documentary movie Mondo Cane' which was released in 1962, among the strange and seemingly depraved (to Western eyes) behavior is one segment about old people in China who wait around in the upper floor of a house to die while their families are downstairs at a party celebrating their deaths. I'm puzzled by all of this. How much suffering? So while trite, it's true: I walked a mile with Pleasure, It seems to me for those believers who grieve, their religion brings them little more comfort than those who don't. Ill say you dont, lady! I said. If a week ago last Monday, a lamp went out, it was because, for him at least, the Dawn had come. When a person dies, there are many things that can be said, and there is at least one thing that should never be said. Of lads that wore their honours out, And round that early-laurelled head 25 Read more. After one year at Yale, Coffin joined the U.S. Army, in which he served until 1947, when he returned to Yale, graduating with a B.A. You blew it." I was impressed by the Amish last year when that young girl was killed. Only reverance can restrain violence - reverance for human life and the environment. You blew it. The one thing that should never be said when someone dies is It is the will of God. Never do we know enough to say that. And Christ spent an inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insanity, leprosy, and muteness. Either it is god's will or there is no god! O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. When parents die, as my mother did last month, they take with them a large portion of the past. ABERNETHY: I asked Coffin to think back on the civil rights and other protest movements he helped lead. The time you won your town the race By a departing light c a m p u s l i f e ; m e s s a g e Which is not to say that there are no nature-caused deaths I can think of many right here in this parish in the five years Ive been here deaths that are untimely and slow and pain-ridden, which for that reason raise unanswerable questions, and even the specter of a Cosmic Sadist yes, even an Eternal Vivisector. This album is a collection of prayers from the end of the sermons; 1977-1979. But when children die, they take away the future as well. Famously, at the height of that conflict . I know how lucky I am! Sometimes it has seemed that patriotism blocked any kind of criticism, that we were afraid if we spoke out against going to war or the policies after the Iraq war, that it would be considered disloyal to the troops and our country. Q: Where does the rise of conservatism, especially on the religious Right among Protestant evangelicals, fit into this whole thing? Didnt the eagle find a fresh liver to tear in Prometheus every time it dined?. It all makes me wonder if its not a matter of God willing or letting, but more like the laws of nature. William Sloane Coffin Jr. (June 1, 1924 - April 12, 2006) was an American Christian clergyman and long-time peace activist. What is the religious challenge at our universities? My own broken heart is mending, and largely thanks to so many of you, my dear parishioners; for if in the last week I have relearned one lesson, it is that love not only begets love, it transmits strength. This is the seventh year of the complete ten year collection of sermons. Refusing to cede the battlefield of morality to conservatives, he argues that "compassion demands . Its presence in my mind has been so frequent, especially recently after the loss of a dear friend, that I finally decided to share it here. There's something in the flight ABERNETHY: As he conducts what he calls his lover's quarrel with his country, Coffin acknowledges that he has to be careful not to become self-righteous himself -- perhaps especially when he is honored, as he is often. Among the healing flood of letters that followed his death was one carrying this wonderful quote from the end of Hemingways A Farewell to Arms: The world breaks everyone, then some become strong at the broken places.. Can you explain what that means for you? Didnt the eagle find a fresh liver to tear in Prometheus every time it dined?. They said it was god's will, that she is in heaven now and they moved on without the tearjerking remorse many who call them true believers in a faith feel. Did you perhaps mistake me for someone else?? William Sloane Coffin, who died Wednesday at the age of 81 of congestive heart failure, was known as a civil rights activist and outspoken critic of the Vietnam War. For some reason, nothing so infuriates me as the incapacity of seemingly intelligent people to get it through their heads that God doesnt go around this world with his fingers on triggers, his fists around knives, his hands on steering wheels. When its true and painful, say it softly, None of us have the right to avert our gaze. Anonymous- I think people are grieving because they're sad to see someone go. If a week ago last Monday, a lamp went out, it was because, for him at least, the Dawn had come. If the order gets mixed up, thats misery. --Robert Browning Hamilton. Why would someone grieve for a loved one who is in heaven or in paradise. But was he a criminal? But violent deaths, such as the one Alex died to understand those is a piece of cake. How are you able to look at the world as it is and still have the capacity for feeling joyful? William Sloane Coffin Jr., chaplain of Yale University, were indicted today on charges of conspiring to counsel young men to violate the draft laws. You can purchase individual sermons for $4.42 (includes processing fees). The night after Alex died I was sitting in the living room of my sisters house outside of Boston, when the front door opened and in came a nice-looking, middle-aged woman, carrying about eighteen quiches. ), Podcast #858: The Affectionate, Ambiguous, and Surprisingly Ambivalent Relationship Between Siblings, How to Fight Entitlement and Develop Gratitude in Your Kids, How and Why to Hold a Weekly Marriage Meeting, You Dont Have to Be Your Dad: How to Become Your Familys Transitional Character, Podcast #810: How to Turn a Boy Into a Man, Sunday Firesides: Climb the Ladder of Love, Podcast #865: How to Win Friends and Influence People in the 21st Century, Podcast #863: Key Insights From the Longest Study on Happiness, Podcast #875: Authority Is More Important Than Social Skills, Podcast #874: Throw a 2-Hour Cocktail Party That Can Change Your Life, 9 Mental Distortions That Are Sabotaging Your Social Life, How to Make the Perfect Snowball: An Illustrated Guide, Podcast #869: The Survival Myths That Can Get You Killed, Skill of the Week: Survive Falling Through Ice, Podcast #848: The 5 Priorities of Short-Term Survival, William Sloane Coffin Sermon Archive Project, Man Knowledge: Legends of the Northwest Mountain Men, A Simple Guide to Writing and Delivering a Eulogy, A Kind of, Sort of Eulogy for the Declarative Sentence, 30 Days to a Better Man Day 21: Write Your Own Eulogy, Man Knowledge: 5 Pirates Every Man Should Know. Gracious God, whose own Son's term of service to humanity was so full that its brevity was no distress, we call to mind on this Memorial Sunday those "who will not grow old as we who are left to grow old," those whose lives were too brief for us but long enough, perhaps, for thee. We have to be forced down. William Sloane Coffin May God give you the grace never to sell yourself short; Grace to risk something big for something good; and Grace to remember the world is now too dangerous for anything but the truth and too small for anything but love. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the cold ground. And early though the laurel grows I sought the Lord, and he heard me, Another consolation, of course, will be the learning which better be good, given the price. In a prideful way it would be easier to walk the valley alone, nobly, head high, instead of as we must marching as the latest recruit in the worlds army of the bereaved. I know how lucky I am! Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind; Elegant and curled And there are large accidents, like the one your dad was in. So, I wrote the sermon about it. In a prideful way it would be easier to walk the valley alone, nobly, head high, instead of as we must marching as the latest recruit in the worlds army of the bereaved. Rev. Thats why immediately after such a tragedy people must come to your rescue, people who only want to hold your hand, not to quote anybody or even say anything, people who simply bring food and flowers the basics of beauty and life people who sign letters simply, Your brokenhearted sister. In other words, in my intense grief I felt some of my fellow reverends not many, and none of you, thank God were using comforting words of Scripture for self-protection, to pretty up a situation whose bleakness they simply couldnt face. . Actually, its even more worth a listen; its considerably more powerful inthe oral form in which it was delivered, and the audio can be accessed here. Q: Your faith and the nature of God and God's love -- what is the bedrock there for you? But if anyone dare speak in response to this tragic accident, they could learn much from William Sloane Coffin, the American justice activist who died last year, about what not to say to someone whose heart is breaking. And Christ spent an inordinate amount of time delivering people from paralysis, insanity, leprosy, and muteness. It is self-interest. I think in the end they pay him a fortune to make the dead go back to their graves. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. Cannot see the record cut, Required fields are marked *. I was reminded today of this beautiful eulogy by the late William Sloane Coffin for his 24-year-old son, Alex, and I wanted to share it with you. Tony Campolo retells an incident involving William Sloane Coffin following the death of his son, Alexander. Podcast #862: Heal the Body With Extended Fasting Podcast #761: How Testosterone Makes Men, Men How Saunas Can Help Save Your Body, Mind, and Spirit Podcast #852: The Brain Energy Theory of Mental Illness For the latest updates across BBC blogs, visit the Blogs homepage. Realist- I'm struggling to understand how what you said relates to anything I posted above whatsoever. Read more. That makes two of us. Have a think about the bigger picture!! May God give you the grace never to sell yourself short; Grace to risk something big for something good; And grace to remember the world is now too dangerous for anything but the truth and too small for anything but love. The recipient of the Coffin award will be someone who shares Coffin's passionate and prophetic witness, a courageous devotion to the dignity and worth of . This album is a collection of prayers from the end of the sermons; 1980-1981. I know all the right biblical passages, including Blessed are those who mourn, and my faith is no house of rest, came from fellow reverends, a few of whom proved they knew their cards; these passages are true, I know. This invaluable anthology is the first and only collection dedi And finally I know that when Alex beat me to the grave, the finish line was not Boston Harbor in the middle of the night. William Sloane Coffin Jr. preached these Sunday sermons from the pulpit of the Riverside Church in New York City. Q: We've been talking about a lot of big problems. Interview with Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. Still there is much by way of consolation. William Sloane Coffin. Editors note: Ten days after his son, Alex, drove off a bridgeand was killed in a car accident, Reverend William Sloane Coffin delivered the following sermon to his congregation at Riverside Church in New York City. Coffin delivered his sermon "Eulogy for Alex" at Riversid e Church. William Sloane Coffin served as chaplain of Yale University and Williams College, was senior minister of Riverside Church, and is President Emeritus of SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global Security. 00:00 $ 75.00 Sermons from Riverside Church 1982 But the point is this. Transcript - William Sloane Coffin's Eulogy for Alex Ten days after his son, Alex, was killed in a car accident, Reverend William Sloane Coffin delivered this moving eulogy turned sermon, filled with deep truth and deep pain about the realities of death and the true (not trite) hope we have in God. In his younger days he was an athlete, a talented pianist, a CIA agent, and later chaplain of Yale University, where the influence of Reinhold Niebuhr's . What should churches be doing in the face of whats going on in our country right now? We see acuter quite William Sloane Coffin, a United Church of Christ Minister known globally for his peace and justice advocacy, died April 12, 2006, at his home in rural Strafford, Vt. Quotes. But assuming they did, if they hadn't (it was supposed to be god's plan all along) there would be no Christian religion and no savior who died to save everyone else. Thanks for posting this. 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